Discussion Post: Adventure of the Priory School

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Another short week, or at least it seemed that way to me. What did you all think of The Adventure of the Priory School? As always, I have a few questions and thoughts of my own for the story -- please add your own!

- It's a dramatic entrance for the client, Dr. Huxtable, walking into 221B and promptly fainting on the bearskin rug! The poor fellow is really the hero of the piece, doing the right thing and traveling to fetch Holmes and tell him the full truth despite the Duke's wishes and rather contrary to his "pompous" description from Watson. He seems to run a good school with caring and loyal instructors as well. So here's to Dr. Huxtable! (Also, 80's American TV fans -- did you not immediately think of Bill Cosby in a sweater?)

- On the other end of the spectrum is James Wilder, a bad seed and another villain who Holmes allows to escape criminal punishment. Does that bother you? What about the Duke himself? Shouldn't he have to face charges for the real crimes Holmes knows he is guilty of? It must be nice being so "noble" the laws no longer apply to you. Maybe not so much has changed from the Victorian era after all.

- The Priory School is plush with sweet bits of friendship and partnership between Holmes and Watson. If "two old hounds like Watson and myself" doesn't get you, Holmes clambering up onto Watson's shoulders to peek into a window surely must.

- Back to James Wilder and his father. I was surprised Holmes lacked even an inkling of their true relationship. Given the suggestive nature of this business and the men's resemblance in the dark, I expected him to at least suspect they might be related.

- One last question. What were your feelings about Holmes' open enthusiasm for the money here? He usually is more focused on the quality of the puzzle instead. I suppose in this case he got the best of both worlds. Still, I found his behavior unseemly, especially when the king's ransom he receives (doubled at the last minute) carries the discomforting air of a bribe for leniency.

Comments

[wild-huntress.livejournal.com]

I do kind of wonder why Holmes suddenly seems to be open to being "bribed" into leniency - especially as James Wilder is a pretty darn bad egg. I'm not sure "having to move to Australia and get a new job" is at all an appropriate punishment for "having your little kid half-sibling kidnapped by a thug in order to force your father to break an entailment so you can inherit".

And why's it legit for Hayes, the uncouth, thuggish kidnapper from the working class, to quite possibly hang while Wilder the polished "gentlemanly" kidnapper in the operation goes totally free? I really like this story but am not so crazy about the end - one of the few times (contrast e.g. ABBE, BOSC) where I'm a little concerned about Holmes' DIY "justice" - though perhaps it's more Lord Holdernesse who insists on that particular resolution. I dunno.

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this one is really difficult from an ethical standpoint. The Victorian class system really works to the advantage of the Duke and his son (one of them, anyway), but you hit the nail on the head about Hayes, who gets the afterlife instead of a new life on a different continent.

I wanted to like Priory School a lot too, because there's so much to like, especially with Holmes and Watson. But I agree -- in the end there's so much wrong, and a lot of it has to do with Holmes, unfortunately, his style of justice and his openness to monetary favors.